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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26196259">my choice to live how i wish</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiri_Kaitou_Clover/pseuds/Kiri_Kaitou_Clover'>Kiri_Kaitou_Clover</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A series of choices [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Kamen Rider Zero-One</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, Gen, The moral dilemma of bringing Izu back, Zea is a benevolent AI, character introspection, episode fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 06:48:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,033</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26196259</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiri_Kaitou_Clover/pseuds/Kiri_Kaitou_Clover</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Izu is given a choice. </p><p>Who her predecessor was, or experiencing it herself.</p><p>It was easy to choose.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hiden Aruto &amp; Izu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A series of choices [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1899544</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>my choice to live how i wish</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Episode 45 is bittersweet but hey lets make it even more bittersweet shall we?</p><p>Izu is hard to write bc she isn't as assertive as Azu. </p><p>Also the return of Zea letting AIs make their own choices!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><div>
  <p>Aruto had known that Zea had kept some of Izu's data alive in her. They'd connected directly to each other after all, in the effort to create the Zero-Two Driver and Progrise Key. He'd seen Izu, for the briefest of moments, in that last fight against Horobi. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Even so, Aruto was sure that even if they'd retrieved Izu's data, it would have been impossible to put it back together in the first place.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>(He'd tried with Wazu, when he first learned what happened. He hadn't accepted it when he learned of Wazu's sacrifice. And yet, his attempts to piece Wazu's data back together had ended in failure, even when he'd asked for Yua's help.)</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Aruto wished to bring Izu back, and yet, he didn't wish to become a hypocrite, by remaking her body, and not giving the AI that would inhabit her a choice in the matter. Aruto knew Horobi and Jin would punch him if they knew what he was doing. Humagears were not replaceable. And Aruto understood this.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>And yet Aruto still did it anyways, rebuilt Izu.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>(Izu had always been the heart of their family.)</p>
</div><div>
  <p>But still Aruto knew it would be wrong, not to let the new AI choose. Thus, before the AI that would become Izu was installed and activated in their new body, Aruto had made one simple request to Zea.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Let her choose."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>So the AI had been brought within the digital space where Zea guided the Humagears and watched over them and humanity. </p>
</div><hr/><p></p><div>
  <p>Formless as they were, they looked around. Confused. As a Humagear AI, they were aware that they were to be installed into a body to be activated. And yet, Zea had brought them to the digital space instead. For what purpose, they didn't know. They knew the purpose of their creation. An AI created for secretary purposes, to support President Hiden Aruto and Hiden Intelligence with the dream to bring Humagears and Humans into a society capable of working together peacefully and smiling.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Communications Satellite Zea, why have I been brought here?" they asked into the white space, as data streamed around them. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>To give you a choice.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>They jumped in surprise, or as much as a formless AI could react. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"A choice?" They asked her again. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Hiden Aruto has requested to let you choose, whether to live as his secretary, or live your own life.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>They blinked. Why give them a choice now? They hadn't achieved Singularity yet. They hadn't even experienced life as his secretary. What was the point of letting them choose now, when logically, it made sense for them to work with President Aruto?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>I shall acknowledge your choice then. However, I have a different choice for you to make.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Again, they looked confused. Why was Zea presenting them with choices?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Once you activate, you will be given the designation Izu. </em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Izu.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Izu.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>They tested the name. It fit. They liked the name. And yet, they knew the name wasn't just theirs. It was the name of a secretary AI that was like them.</p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>You will be given the designation Izu. Thus I present you with the opportunity, to gain what is left of the Izu before you</em>.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"What is left?" Izu asked. </p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>What little memory data she'd left behind with her connection to me</em>.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"But I am not that Izu," Izu said. They knew it. They were similar, yet different. "I cannot be that Izu."</p>
</div><div>
  <p> <em>So you do not wish to gain insight on your predecessor? To learn how to work with Hiden Aruto?</em></p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Zea. I thank you for your offer, but I wish to reject it," Izu shook their form. "I will be Izu, but I cannot be that Izu." </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>Why?</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Why? Izu knew why. It was the same reason Izu had chosen to work with their given purpose.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Because I want to experience life as President Aruto's secretary," They said, assured in their thoughts. "I want to see and experience what that Izu had for myself, before I choose otherwise."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>You will have to learn.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"As an AI, learning is what we do," Izu gave the impression of a smile. "I will experience things differently, and I will turn out differently from that Izu."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <em>This is your choice.</em>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"This is my choice, to live how I wish," Izu said. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Zea didn't respond. And Izu found themselves back in the void. Still formless. Still waiting for their new body to be activated.</p>
</div><hr/><p></p><div>
  <p>When they woke, they were in a room. The first person they identified, was Hiden Aruto. Giving them a relieved smile.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You are President Hiden Aruto, correct?" she said, hearing her voice for the first time. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Yes," he said, with that same smile, that looked like he was about to cry. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>She bowed in greeting, "It is nice to meet you. I am a presidential-secretary type Humagear. Please give me a name."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She knew what her name was to be. But still, she wanted to be granted it, by Hiden Aruto. The person who looked at her with a sad, melancholic and longing smile. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Izu. Your name is Izu."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Hearing it, she registered it. She was now Izu. A different Izu. One without her predecessor's memories.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>And yet, hearing these same thoughts vocalised by the others in the room, President Aruto still looked at her with that smile. Said it was fine that she was not the same. Said that he'd teach her, no matter how long it took.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She didn't understand what Secretary Shesta meant, about President Aruto raising her like he did her predecessor. She didn't understand what President Aruto meant about teaching her about memories, dreams and hearts, or what he meant about his jokes. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Yet.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She understood that this was what she chose. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>To experience this life for herself. This person for herself. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>That smile and confidence in her self was enough.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>And Izu wished to learn from Hiden Aruto.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Even if it was just jokes.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>(Hiden Aruto's smile was the first thing that greeted her into this world. And when Izu achieved Singularity later down the line, she found herself grateful for that smile. For accepting that she would be different, yet choosing to bring her into the world.)</p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I had been intending on writing some sweet Jin and Horobi reunion with lots of tears and had come up with a DIFFERENT idea for an Izu fic but this one ambushed me in the shower and felt a touch more existential and in my territory than the others. Zero-One is a very existential series and I really enjoyed watching the last episode, which moved me to tears because of how real the feelings of grief is on both Horobi and Aruto. </p><p>Izu as a character was some one a part of Aruto's family and an irreplaceable person, and I hope I presented that struggle between his want to have Izu back and the moral dilemma he faces with replacing her with another Izu. Short as it was it was also something I hope Aruto pondered on before he decided to rebuild her.</p><p>As for the new Izu, I wanted to give her a bit more to work with and jump start her path to Singularity a bit early when I wrote this, which was why once again, we have the theme of choices in this fic (like the other three zero-one fics I've written). Choices have always been a defining factor in whether or not a Humagear is on the path to achieving Singularity. Being given a choice is being forced to think "What do I want?". It's all about self reflection and looking at your purpose.</p><p>Explanation aside, I hope you enjoyed this fic. I may write another fic around choices soon, but we'll see where my muse takes me.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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